Currently, there are two war veterans residing in Shymkent.
One of them is Muratali Tolepbergenuly, who will celebrate his 100th birthday
this month. He recalls that the years spent on the front lines were incredibly
challenging. Muratali Tolepbergenuly went to war in 1943, serving as a signalman
in the 339th Division. His loyal companion, alongside his weapon, was a
20-kilogram radio transceiver. The veteran recalls that maintaining
communication with headquarters while on the front lines was very difficult.
«This radio was nothing like the ones we have today, its
range was no more than 12 kilometers. It ran on batteries. There were two types
of batteries, one of which weighed 16 kilograms. The radio itself weighed
another 8 kilograms. We carried it together. I was a radio operator,» said war veteran
Muratali Tolepbergenuly.
The veteran recounts how he fought in fierce battles. He
participated in the liberation of the Brest Fortress, Belarusian and Ukrainian
cities, and reached Berlin. For his heroism, he was awarded the Order of the
Patriotic War, 2nd class, and the medals For Courage, For the Liberation of
Warsaw, and For Victory over Germany.
«We crossed the Oder river, which was a border river. In
1945, Germany was occupied. In 1949, I received a 40-day leave, 26 of which I
spent in my native village of Tulkubas,» Tolepbergenuly added.
After the war, the elder considers each new day a gift of
fate, for he managed to return from the thick of the battles to a peaceful
life. He worked on a collective farm, raised two sons and six daughters. Today,
he is surrounded by 21 grandchildren and 27 great-grandchildren.
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